Standardkalkyl

Standardkalkyl is a standardized calculation approach used in planning, budgeting, and procurement to estimate costs for projects, especially in construction and civil engineering. It rests on a catalogue of standard unit costs for labour, materials, equipment, and subcontractor work, together with standard productivity values and prevailing coefficients. The calculation proceeds by defining a work breakdown structure, selecting relevant standard price elements, and multiplying by estimated quantities. The resulting figures are aggregated to produce a baseline project cost, which can be adjusted for location, time, quality requirements, and risk.

The method supports rapid, comparable cost assessments across bids or projects and is commonly used by public authorities, developers, and contracting firms. It also serves as a planning and control tool: the standard cost base forms a reference against which actual costs and changes are tracked, and it informs budgeting, tender evaluation, and value engineering.

Implementation typically involves maintaining a cost database or price book containing unit prices, productivity rates, and coefficients for region, season, scope, and complexity. Updates are essential to reflect market changes, technological advances, and policy shifts. Governance processes ensure transparency, version control, and auditability.

Limitations include potential mismatch with project-specific conditions, the risk of outdated data, and reduced flexibility for highly specialized or innovative work. Standardkalkyl is thus best used as a starting point for cost estimation and a tool for decision-making, complemented by detailed, project-specific Kalkyler when necessary.